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Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris attributed the death of a 28-year-old pregnant woman from an infection to “Trump’s abortion bans.”
Amber Nicole Thurman of Georgia died two years ago after her treatment was delayed as doctors struggled with the state’s restrictive abortion laws.
Her death was later classified as “preventable” by a government committee made up of 10 doctors, the investigative magazine reported. ProPublica was reported on Monday.
Harris issued a statement on Tuesday about the fate of Thurman, the mother of a six-year-old boy, and spoke about her story in an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists later that day.
“This young mother should be alive, raising her son and pursuing her dream of attending nursing school,” Harris said in a statement. “This is exactly what we feared would happen when Roe was overturned. In more than 20 states, Trump’s abortion bans prevent doctors from providing basic medical care.”
“Women bleed to death in parking lots, are turned away from emergency rooms, and lose the opportunity to ever have children again,” she continued. “Survivors of rape and incest are told they cannot decide what happens to their bodies.”
“And now women are dying. These are the consequences of Donald Trump’s actions.”
During his presidency, Trump nominated three justices to create the 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. This conservative majority enabled the court to Roe v. Wade in 2022 – the ruling that had guaranteed access to abortion across the country. Some states began passing laws restricting abortion after roe was repealed.
Thurman, a physician’s assistant, was admitted to Piedmont Henry Hospital in suburban Atlanta after vomiting blood and fainting in 2022. ProPublica reports. According to the news agency’s investigation, doctors found that Thurman had taken abortion drugs and experienced a rare complication that left some fetal tissue in her uterus.
At this point, Thurman needed a procedure called dilation and curettage, which allowed doctors to remove the rest of the tissue, ProPublica Reports. But Georgia recently passed a law that makes the procedure a crime with few exceptions.
Doctors delayed Thurman’s treatment and eventually operated on her 20 hours after her arrival at the hospital, ProPublicaShe died on the operating table.
Piedmont Henry Hospital did not respond to requests for comment from ProPublicasays the report. The Independent has asked the hospital for comment.
For the past two years, Thurman’s family members knew only that she had died from an infection caused by “remaining products of conception.” ProPublica reports. Her relatives only learned that medical experts believed Thurman’s death was preventable because ProPublica’s Reporting.
Her family is now focusing on caring for Thurman’s son, so ProPublicaThurman’s mother told the outlet the last words she heard her daughter say were, “Promise me you’ll take care of my son.”
Deaths due to complications from abortion drugs are extremely rare. From 2000 to 2022, 32 deaths were reported to the Food and Drug Administration. These deaths were reported regardless of whether the abortion drugs played a role, according to ProPublicaand many of the recorded deaths had other causes, such as drug overdose or murder.
Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, also issued a statement in response to the ProPublica Report.
“Amber Nicole Thurman – mother of a six-year-old son – died after routine medical care was delayed,” wrote Senator Warren. “Her doctors feared criminal prosecution under Georgia’s abortion ban. Her death was preventable. Donald Trump said abortion bans are a ‘beautiful thing.'”
This summer, Trump called it “beautiful to see” states pass laws restricting access to abortion.
The Republican presidential candidate has made outrageous false claims about abortion. For example, last week during the debate against Harris he said that in some states babies are executed after birth.
Since the fall roePregnant women face significant barriers to accessing abortion, which can have life-changing and sometimes life-threatening consequences.
In states where there are few or no exceptions to abortion bans, people are forced to continue life-threatening pregnancies even though they are not viable. According to Middlebury College’s Myers Abortion Facility Database, people in over 700 counties must travel more than 200 miles to reach the nearest abortion clinic.
The Independent has asked the Trump team for comment.
